Cumaru Deck (or a woodworker scales up)

Replaced a rotting 30 year old deck with a smaller new one made out of Cumaru. Cumaru is a Brazilian hardwood similar to Ipe, but with a more inconsistent grain pattern and color. In my area it is half the price, though, so I went for it.

Pressure treated structure. Stainless hardware. Plugged the deck surface screws, did color match screws on the stairs for light/hardware maintenance in the future.

Pyramid stairs to match tiered patio. Went with a pillowed “open miter” to hide the wood movement and not trap moisture. Stair risers were cut long an had a pillowed edge to hide substructure movement as well.

I had a solid L bracket under the rails, so I did that miter tight with biscuits with screws from below to help hold it together.